A CASE REPORT ON SYSTEMIC LUPUS ERYTHEMATOSUS PRESENTING WITH ACUTE ABDOMINAL PAIN AND THE ROLE OF IMAGING IN LUPUS MESENTERIC VASCULITIS

Acute abdominal pain is seen during the active phase in around 8-40% of SLE patients. Lupus mesenteric vasculitis (LMV) is one of the common causes of acute abdomen in SLE patients; however, it is an uncommon condition with a global prevalence of 0.2-9.7%. Clinical symptoms and laboratory parameters are non-specific in the diagnosis of LMV. Nevertheless, radiological investigations like ultrasonography and computed tomography play a role in narrowing down the differential diagnosis and excluding other non SLE causes of acute pain abdomen and aids in the management of the patient.